You might think your TV is ‘Super Bowl ready,’ but are you really prepared for the big day? Here are some tips from columnist Marc Saltzman to make sure your TV is set up perfectly.USA TODAY

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Super Bowl kicks off Sunday, but you have cut the cord with your cable provider. How can you watch the big game?

A quick solution may be easier than you expect. All you will need is an Internet-connected device — or an antenna for your TV.

NBC, which was the first network to livestream a Super Bowl in the U.S. in 2012, will be streaming the game — and a full slate of pregame and postgame activities — for free on NBC.com, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app (viewable on Android, iPhones and on TV streaming devices such as Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku devices and Xbox video game systems, among others).

Viewers will not have to type in the usual pay-TV credentials to watch live video on those sites and apps on Super Bowl Sunday. Pregame coverage begins at noon ET, and NBC wraps up its free access viewing with an episode of its TV drama This Is Us, expected to air about 10 p.m. ET after postgame coverage. Or you can just tune in to the halftime show featuring Justin Timberlake.

You can also watch NBC’s coverage of the game — kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT — on the NFL apps and Yahoo Sports apps.

Don’t want to watch online? You can use an antenna to pick up a local NBC station if you live close enough. Check the AntennaWeb site, sponsored by the Consumer Technology Association and National Association of Broadcasters, for recommendations on antennas. As many as 30 million homes currently have at least one television receiving local broadcast signals via an antenna, according to consumer research firm Gfk.

A reliable HD antenna will ensure access to local channels, and who doesn’t love PBS and the 11 o’clock news?(Photo: Mohu)

If you live within a metro area, you might be able to spend as little as $25 for a small indoor antenna. Connected to an HDTV with a built-in tuner — any device labeled as a TV must have one, while displays do not — the antenna can pull in crystal clear high-def images from nearby broadcasters.

Super Bowl broadcasts historically attract massive audiences, with nine of the 10 most-watched broadcasts being Super Bowl games, according to Nielsen data. Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks drew the largest audience ever, with 114.4 million viewers, according to NBC. (The No. 9 most-watched broadcast? The final episode of M*A*S*H* in 1983.)

For many viewers, the advertisements that run during the Super Bowl have been as much of a draw as the game itself, so making the game available for more viewers is good business, says Brian Wieser, a senior analyst with Pivotal Research Group. “There’s compounding value to a broader reach,” he said.

With NFL viewership, in general, on the decline this regular season, streaming “is obviously a natural place to look to aggregate as as much audience as possible, because that is where more and more viewers are migrating to, with this whole idea of cord cutting,” said Tuna Amobi, director and senior equity analyst at CFRA Research.

While traditional pay-TV subscribers are on the decline, cord-cutting homes will grow to 18.9 million in 2021, according to eMarketer, and cord-never homes will hit 19.5 million.

Super Bowl streaming viewership is expected to be up 45% over last year, according to a survey from digital marketing agency Adtaxi. Most likely to stream the game? Viewers aged 18 to 29, with 17% saying they planned to watch via broadband.

The big game can serve as way to inform consumers about the quality and breadth of online video content. Super Bowl Sunday has become one of the most-streamed days of the year, said Rick Cordella, NBC Sports Group’s executive vice president and general manager for digital media.

“We’re excited to take this opportunity to provide special one-day-only access to consumers, many of whom will be introduced to NBCUniversal’s and NBC Sports Group’s best-in-class streaming environment for the first time,” Cordella said in a statement.

You could also use the Super Bowl as an excuse to test-drive one of the growing lineup of Internet-delivered live TV services, each of which includes live, local NBC channels for subscribers across much of the country.

Most of these broadband pay-TV services have free trial periods of a week or so. Advantages include no long-term contracts and no proprietary programming device needed. (I’d recommend starting at least a day before the Super Bowl to familiarize yourself with the services’ menu system.)

Sling TV offers a wide array of sports channels, but you have to add most on through packages, while the others let you access them with higher-priced subs.(Photo: Sling)

Now nearly three years old, Sling TV was the first service to deliver live local channels via broadband. Operated by Dish Network, Sling TV has live local NBC feeds in 11 markets including Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York and the San Francisco area. These aren’t necessary for the Super Bowl, but you might want them if you’re cutting the cord and still want local TV news, traffic and weather. The service, which starts at $25 monthly, has a free seven-day trial.

(Photo: Getty Images)

DirecTV Now (starts at $35 monthly), now more than one year old, also has a free seven-day trial and has local NBC channels in more than 40 markets. Hulu ($39.99 monthly, free seven-day trial), which in May added live channels to its on-demand streaming service, has live NBC channels in 101 markets.

A screenshot of Sony’s broadband pay-TV subscription service PlayStation Vue on a smartphone.(Photo: Sony PlayStation)

Sony’s PlayStation Vue (starts at $39.99 monthly, free five-day trial), has expanded since its March 2015 launch and now has live NBC feeds in 37 markets.

Relative newcomer YouTube TV ($35 monthly, free seven-day trial), available since May 2017, has NBC in 66 markets, covering 70% of the U.S.

FuboTV (free seven-day trial, first month at $19.99; $39.99 monthly) has grown from a sports-centric streaming subscription service launched in 2015 to include local NBC stations covering 70% of U.S. households.

Get your FREE 7-day trial to #fuboTV and enjoy @NFLNetwork all week long. Stream live coverage from Minneapolis leading up to game day. https://t.co/QFHYdbnX9Fpic.twitter.com/ZxKmj3x2ig

— fuboTV (@fuboTV) January 30, 2018

Of course, there’s always the concern that massive online viewership will lead to connectivity issues and some viewers missing big plays or cute TV ads. Last year, some viewers reported problems with Fox’s stream of the game during the fourth quarter. The year before, CBS experienced some online glitches early in Super Bowl 50.

Rebuffering of video after action freezes is one of the biggest frustrations with online viewing. Nearly one in six (16%) of consumers will stop watching a video after it rebuffers once and another 42% of will stop watching after two rebuffers, according to the recent “The State of Online Video” conducted by online video delivery company Limelight Networks.

“The Patriots vs. Eagles is an important event for cord cutting, and, in a sense, it’s a Super Bowl for the streaming video industry as well,” Limelight senior vice president Dan Carney said.

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With these essentials you can cut the cord and still watch anything you want.Reviewed.com

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